


Flower Crowns

by torestoreamends



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Flower Crowns, Fluff, M/M, Post-Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-09-16 22:04:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9291482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torestoreamends/pseuds/torestoreamends
Summary: Scorpius and Albus sit in a meadow on a sunny day, make flower crowns, and talk about how much they love each other.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was basically written just to make up for the terrible angst in my last fic. It’s also a companion piece to PlatinaSi's [beautiful art](http://plati-arts.tumblr.com/post/155581567937/scorpius-with-forget-me-nots-and-albus-with-cosmos). I hope it delivers pure fluff and great joy.
> 
> Thanks to Abradystrix for betaing this for me, despite having spent the day battling inclement Scottish weather. It’s always super appreciated. <3

Albus flops down in the middle of the meadow and falls onto his back, spreading his arms out and grinning up at the bright blue sky. Scorpius sits next to him and nudges his side with the toe of his shoe. 

"Don't do that. Anyone could stand on you when you're hiding in the grass like that."

"Mmhmm," Albus says, closing his eyes. "All the crowds of people in this field are going to trample me to death. I am appropriately concerned." 

"You should be! It's a very dangerous world out here, Albus. You might- argh!" Scorpius collapses onto the ground as Albus grabs his hand and tugs him sideways. "No, not my shoulder. You've wounded me," he whimpers, rolling around dramatically in the grass and clutching his shoulder. 

Albus snorts and folds his arms behind his head. "You're fine. I know Madam Pomfrey fixed it straight away. Stop being a baby." 

Scorpius pokes him in the ribs. "You should be more respectful of the injuries I heroically sustained in the effort to beat Gryffindor to the Quidditch Cup. I don't think you're grateful enough for how I courageously put myself in harm's way to ensure our victory."

Albus rolls over and looks at him. "Oh, I'm very grateful. I just think you should stop being melodramatic. It can't hurt that much."

Scorpius gives him an indignant look. "Have you ever had a Bludger hit you in the shoulder and shatter several of your bones, before catching a Snitch and falling ten feet out of the air from a fast-moving broomstick?" 

"I can't say I have," Albus says, grinning.

"Exactly. So stop making fun of me. It's very sore." He folds his arms and rolls onto his back.

Albus smirks and props himself up on his elbow, looking down at him. "Do you want me to kiss it better for you?" 

"No," Scorpius says, glaring at him. 

Albus flops back onto the grass. "Poor Scorpius. Are you going to spend all afternoon moping about your poorly shoulder?" 

"I don't know. It depends if I get any sympathy from my boyfriend or not." He turns his head and looks at Albus. "It depends if he appreciates my suffering." 

Albus shifts closer to him and wraps an arm across his stomach. "I appreciate everything about you. I know most of the school is obsessed with your bravery and how good you look on a broom, and I definitely appreciate those things, but there's a lot more to you than that." He leans his head on Scorpius's chest and closes his eyes.

"Mmhmm?" Scorpius asks, stroking his hair. 

"Yeah," Albus murmurs. "Like how you're a smartypants, and a history geek, and your Transfiguration makes me swoon..."

"Is that a euphemism?" 

Albus swats at him. "No. It's not. Now shut up and let me say nice things." 

"Okay, okay. I'm shutting up now." 

"Good," Albus says. He pats Scorpius's chest. "I appreciate all the stupid facts you come out with, and I appreciate how you help me with my work. You're very patient. Also, and I cannot believe I'm about to say this, I appreciate your puns." 

Scorpius sits up so suddenly Albus has to dodge backwards to avoid getting knocked over. Scorpius beams down at him, incredulous but utterly delighted. "You like my puns? You just admitted to liking my puns! Did I hear that, or have I died and gone to heaven?" 

"I did admit it," Albus mumbles, already regretting his words. They're going to haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Albus Severus Potter likes my puns!" Scorpius crows, holding his hands aloft in triumph. "I've made it! I can die now and go to heaven." 

Albus throws some grass at him. "That shoulder isn't nearly so sore when you're gloating, is it Malfoy?" 

Scorpius immediately lowers his hands and rubs his shoulder. "It twinges. I don't think I've got my full range of movement back yet."

Albus rolls his eyes. "Did you know you're ridiculous?" 

"You tell me regularly," Scorpius says, now rolling his shoulder and wincing. 

Albus draws his wand and sits up. "Would you like to see what I was learning in Charms while you were swanning around in the hospital wing this morning?" 

"I was not swanning," Scorpius says indignantly. "I was resting." He eyes Albus's wand. "Please don't tell me it was a Painkilling Charm or something, because I trust you with my life, but I'm not sure I want to be your guinea pig."

"I'm not going to touch your shoulder. Watch... this." Albus glares straight ahead of him, determined. He pokes his tongue between his teeth, and waves his wand. "Orchideous." A bunch of daffodils bloom from the end of his wand and he grins. 

Scorpius nods and pulls a suitably impressed face. "Very nice."

"I know," Albus says, exceptionally pleased with himself. "I earned twenty points for Slytherin with that trick. Flitwick says I've got a natural gift for Conjuration." 

"Do you have a natural gift for showing off too?" Scorpius asks, smirking. 

Albus glares at him and shoves his wand away. "You do it then, if you're so clever." 

"Alright," Scorpius says. He extracts his wand from his pocket, draws himself up straight, and waves it. "Orchideous." Nothing happens. 

Albus snorts. "Good work."

"You're insufferable," Scorpius says. "I think the pain from my shoulder is interfering with-" he catches Albus's despairing look, and pouts. "Let me have another go. You spent all morning practicing that."

"Actually, I did it first time," Albus says, grinning. He bumps his shoulder gently against Scorpius's. "Go on. Second time lucky. Then if you're still terrible I'll give you some tips."

Scorpius glares at him. "I will not be terrible, thank you very much. I'll be brilliant. Watch." He takes a deep breath, then expels it, puffing his cheeks out. Finally he raises his wand and gives it a flourish. "Orchideous!" A couple of wilted tulips flop from the tip of Scorpius's wand into his lap. 

Albus makes a valiant effort not to laugh, but he can't help it. He lets out a snort, then collapses into the grass starts cackling, unable to stop himself. "If that is your idea of brilliance," he smirks, "then in future I'm going to be deeply offended when you say I'm brilliant." 

Scorpius frowns at his wand. "Why does magic hate me?" 

Albus claws his way upright and pats Scorpius on the back, still grinning from ear to ear. "I don't know, but come here. You're doing it wrong." He grabs hold of Scorpius's hand. "It's less of a wild swish and more of a directed flick. Like-"

"Ow," Scorpius whines. "Ow, it's definitely my shoulder's fault that I can't-"

"If you're using your shoulder you're doing it even more terribly than I thought. Look, see? Just a little flick." Albus guides Scorpius's hand through the motion three times, then releases him. "Go on. Be firm with it or they'll just collapse like those tulips did." 

Scorpius nods. This time he looks utterly determined, mouth set in a grim line as he glares at the tip of his wand. He inhales, then gives his wand a sharp flick. "Orchideous." Five huge, golden sunflowers burst from the end of his wand, and his eyes light up. "I did it! Albus, I did it! I managed to do the spell." He sings the last sentence and wriggles his shoulders in a little shimmy.

Albus tries not to smile too hard and encourage him, but it's difficult. "Congratulations," he says. 

"Thanks." Scorpius beams at him and hands him the sunflowers. "And now you can stop gloating. We're even again." 

"We'll never be even," Albus says. He raises the sunflowers to his nose and breathes in their sweet scent. They might even smell better than the ones his mum grows in the back garden at home. "You're a lot better than me at almost everything." He draws his wand, concentrates with all his might, then directs it at the sunflowers. They scatter into a flock of bright yellow birds, which take flight, twittering, and disappear in the direction of the forest.

Scorpius shakes his head. "I don't think that's true anymore. You're becoming quite some wizard."

Albus groans. "I wish people would stop saying that." He beckons Scorpius towards him with his wand. "Alright, come here."

"What?" Scorpius asks dubiously. "Why?"

"Just come. I'm not going to hurt you."

Scorpius eyes him for a moment, then obediently shuffles closer. Albus rises onto his knees and crawls up right beside him. He reaches out and starts trailing his fingers and his wand through Scorpius's hair. 

Scorpius shivers. "That tickles. What are you-"

"I'm trying something. Experimenting."

Scorpius pulls back in alarm. "Please don't set my hair on fire."

Albus sighs, wand falling into his lap, and he gives Scorpius a withering look. "Either I'm 'becoming quite some wizard' or I'm such a liability you're worried I'll set you on fire. I can't be both. Do you trust me or not?"

Scorpius thinks for a moment, then moves closer. "I trust you."

Albus nods. "Thank you. Now, hold still. And don't laugh." 

He starts again, wand and fingers brushing through Scorpius's hair. He frowns and mutters to himself as he does. "Orchideous Necto, Orchideous Necto, Orchideous..." Over and over again, words whispering from his lips, until it just feels like a tickling hiss of an exhale. He barely pauses to draw breath, and he relaxes into the silk of Scorpius's hair under his fingertips, the delicate stems of the flowers he's creating, and the warm sun on his back. 

After a little while, Scorpius strains his eyes upwards to see what Albus is doing. "Why are you putting flowers in my hair?" 

Albus shrugs and keeps weaving. "It's pretty, and I wanted to see if I could do it." 

"Those are blue flowers," Scorpius says, poking his tongue out thanks to the effort of trying to watch Albus's every movement. "They're not daffodils." 

"No, they're forgot-me-nots," Albus says, twirling a couple of stems together and applying a Sticking Charm to stop them unraveling. "They match your eyes." 

Scorpius frowns. "You can change which flower you conjure at will?" He asks, sounding impressed.

Albus nods, not looking away from his work for a second. "Yeah, but you have to concentrate." 

"Wow," Scorpius breathes.

Albus feels his cheeks heat with pride. "I know. The only thing is, I'm not very good at- whoops." One of the flowers drops out of Scorpius's hair. "There you go, matching accessory. No, I'm not very good at the weaving part. It's more difficult when you're trying to decide where you want them to appear. But practice makes perfect."

"I think you're already pretty perfect," Scorpius says softly, picking up the stray forget-me-not and twirling it between his fingers. The wonder in his voice makes Albus lose concentration for a second. A daffodil pops into life among all the forget-me-nots, and he plucks it out and hands it to Scorpius.

"Shush, you're making this more difficult. I know it's hard for you to be quiet, but if you could try for just two minutes that would be marvellous."

Scorpius snaps his mouth shut tight and doesn't make a sound. He just stares up at Albus, grey eyes very intense all of a sudden as they follow the intricate movements of Albus's hands and wand. 

It takes several minutes before Albus withdraws to survey his handiwork. He turns his head to one side and examines the crown of flowers he's created. One of the forget-me-nots seems out of place, and Scorpius's hair is sticking up a bit, but it's the work of a moment to fix that. Finally he sits back and grins, satisfied. 

"Perfect. You look beautiful." 

Scorpius pats carefully at the flowers in his hair. "Pretty as a princess. I think it's your turn now." He draws his wand and moves toward Albus, who shakes his head and backs away.

"No. Scorpius, I don't need flowers in my hair, I-"

"I think you do. I think it'll be adorable."

"Adorable?" Albus splutters. "I'm not-"

Scorpius reaches out and ruffles his hair. "You're so adorable, Albus, just embrace it." He picks at a strand of Albus's messy black hair and examines it. "What do you think... Pink?"

" _Pink_? You are not putting pink flowers in my hair," Albus says, ducking out of Scorpius's reach.

"They'll match your personality," Scorpius says brightly. "I want to try cosmos. They represent the vastness of the universe and the joy you bring to my life. Now would you please sit still? Or I'll have to put a Full Body-Bind Curse on you, and neither of us wants that."

Albus pouts, but does as he's told. He sits with his shoulders tight and his head down, giving Scorpius what he hopes is a thoroughly disgruntled and off-putting look. Scorpius doesn't seem to notice. He wriggles in close to Albus and starts messing with his hair, humming as he works. "This is more difficult than you made it look," he says after a couple of minutes of tugging and brushing. "Just getting the right flower to come out is... But I think I've got it." 

Albus sits and stares upward, watching Scorpius's face and body as he works . It's nice being so close to Scorpius and just looking. He admires the way Scorpius's jumper goes tight across his chest, the way his tie rucks up over his undone top buttons, the little bit of very pale skin on show beneath, the soft pink tinge of his cheekbones where he's caught the sun, the shadow of very fine blond stubble that scatters across his chin and cheeks, almost invisible until you get this close. There's the concentration too, his grey eyes sparkling with it, like a silver stream bubbling over rocks. Bright and lively, but purposeful. 

"I'm nearly done," Scorpius says finally. "Pink is a good colour for you. I think it might be a Potter thing. Remember when James had that comb that made his hair pink?" 

"Vividly," Albus says. "He let me borrow it once as a joke. I'll never forgive him." 

Scorpius grins. "I'm still sad I never got a go. Alright..." He sits back on his heels and examines Albus. As he does a strange look passes over his face. It's like on a summer afternoon when all the clouds melt away to leave just golden light and blue skies. There are no shadows left on his face, his expression has cleared, and he's gazing at Albus like he's never seen him before. 

Albus feels his cheeks warm, and he waves a hand in front of Scorpius's eyes. "Scorpius. You're staring." He laughs but it sounds a little strangled. He feels very exposed all of a sudden, slightly uncomfortable, and he doesn't understand why Scorpius is looking at him this way. The scrutiny is too intense. 

Scorpius swallows. "I love you. Did you know that?" 

Albus stares at him. Everything drops away, and all he knows in the world are those three words and Scorpius's wondering, sunlit face. His stomach swoops, and his heart feels like it's flying or falling, and he doesn't know what to do first because there are a thousand things he's desperate to do now. He wants to sing, or dance, or kiss Scorpius, or hide in his hands, or shriek with delight, or maybe just sink into the ground and stop existing now, because how can it get any better than this? 

"Okay," Scorpius says, pointing at him. "Now you're staring at me. I know what you mean. It's a bit disconcerting. Would you mind-"

"I love you too." It comes rushing out, an unstoppable wave of emotion that leaves Albus grinning and feeling lighter than air. He's never said it before, even though he's had it in his heart for years, and now he's said it once he wants to keep saying it over and over again. "I do. I love you, Scorpius." 

"Apparently so," Scorpius says, failing to restrain a beaming smile. 

"I'm serious," Albus says. "I mean it. I don't know why I've never said it before. I love you, and-" He shakes his head. "I love you." Then he launches himself across the grass and tackles Scorpius onto the ground.

Scorpius shrieks. "Albus, my shoulder! You-"

Albus kisses him. He makes a startled little noise in response and flails his hands around before settling them on Albus's back and in his hair. The pair of them are lying flat amongst the flowers, kissing and clutching at each other, and Albus is pretty sure his crown has been knocked askew, but he doesn't care much, because this is bliss, and his heart feels full to bursting with sunshine. 

Scorpius's body is warm and solid beneath him, and he can feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathes and makes little gasping noises of delight. Albus grins against his lips and strokes the back of his hair, carefully avoiding damaging any of the flowers. His hair is silken, his lips are deliciously soft and a tiny bit chapped, and his tongue is firm and decisive. Albus appreciates how much purpose his kisses have. It's nice to have the direction, because Albus can never decide what he wants to do first. If it were down to him they'd never get anywhere, but Scorpius is constantly sure of what he wants, and always has a plan for how to get it.

Scorpius runs his hands down Albus's sides, and Albus shivers, silvery threads of pleasure cascading through his body. He melts against Scorpius, wanting more, but Scorpius pulls away. His cheeks are flushed and his eyes are bright as he smiles up at Albus. 

"Does this mean I should tell you I love you more often?" 

"I don't know," Albus says. "Do you want me to kiss you more often?"

"Hmm," Scorpius says, screwing his face up in mock concentration. "Do I want you to- Yes, Albus. Yes I do." 

Albus strokes his fingers down Scorpius's cheek. "Maybe you should, then. In fact," he taps Scorpius on the nose, "maybe you should say it again right now." 

Scorpius inclines his head. "Only too happy to oblige." He looks right up into Albus's eyes, and a soft little smile crosses his lips as he trails a hand down Albus's spine. "I love you, Albus Severus Potter." 

Albus smiles so widely he feels like his cheeks are going to burst right off his face. "I love you too, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy."

Scorpius groans at the sound of his middle name, but before he can complain Albus leans down and kisses him again. 

They lie there for a long time after that, among the long grass and wild flowers, exchanging lazy kisses as the sun beams down on them. It's warm, and joyful, and Albus feels very content, the way he only ever seems to when Scorpius is with him. Content, because there're nothing more can he ask for in life than his best friend, a warm summer day, and a heart that's brimming over with love. 


End file.
